Lexington, Oklahoma City and Anadarko were among the biggest hotspots for COVID-19 infections in the past week, according to an analysis of Oklahoma State Department of Health ZIP code data. Much of the outbreak in Lexington has been inside a prison.

Previous weeks’ hotspots, like Altus and Tahlequah, continued to have new infections but also had increases in the number of recovered patients, driving the active case numbers down.

The number of coronavirus infections in Oklahoma skyrocketed in July. There were more than 22,700 confirmed cases in July, more than triple the cases reported in June.

Overall, the state has had more than 36,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 541 deaths. The number of deaths reported in the past week totaled 57, making it the deadliest week for the state since April.

There were 6,759 active COVID-19 cases as of Friday. That’s up from 5,355 active cases on July 24. 

Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 patients in hospital reached the highest point in the pandemic on Tuesday, with 663 patients under care. That fell to 621 by Thursday.

Methodology: Oklahoma Watch calculated the weekly active cases for each ZIP code in the state by taking the number of new COVID-19 cases since July 24 and subtracting the number of deaths and recoveries in that ZIP code. The Oklahoma State Department of Health considers a patient “recovered” if they are out of a 14-day period, are not in the hospital and have not died. The designation is not a reflection of any single patient’s ongoing health conditions from an infection.

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